Stamping and other stuff

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

This week we have a challenge from Helen. It's a challenge that gives you lots of options!

While there are some occasions that happen every year - birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's/Father's Day - for example, there are other occasions that happen once-in-while. Such as someone retiring.

I wanted to try something that has been sweeping the crafting world lately - wreath stamping. There are templates that many people are using. But, I tried something that didn't use a template. Instead, I just marked out corners of my piece of cardstock onto some grid paper.To make the "wreath" I used the clam shell stamp from the So Many Shells, a two-step stamp set, using Crumb Cake for the bottom layer and Fresh Fig for the detailed layer.I then used a scallop circle die from the circles collection to cut out the middle.On a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock, I lined up the opening and traced it lightly with a pencil.Using some of the images from the amazing Waterfront stamp set, I created a beach scene using Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky and Pool Party.The little dots around the shells are from another stamp from the Waterfront set, in Pool Party. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.The panel is matted on Pool Party, and then onto a Fresh Fig card base.What occasions are coming up in your life that you will need a card for? Need inspiration? Just go to Watercooler Wednesday and check out all the amazing projects from the design team.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Before we get to this week's challenge, I want to welcome Tenia Nelson to the Watercooler Artists Team! We have had to say goodbye to Judy Markowitz who was needed to deal with a family issue. Each team member brings a unique perspective to our challenges, and while we will miss Judy we will look forward to Tenia's contributions.

And now, onto this week's challenge from our host, Heidi:

My design was inspired by an embellishment in the 2018 Occasions catalogue - Mini Embroidery Hoops. While there is co-ordinating stamp set, as a long-time, avid cross stitcher, I had to stitch something to fit inside the larger hoop, which measures 1 3/4".

As luck would have it, I was sorting through my stitching stash and came across some patterns I had downloaded many years ago. And, one of them had these sunflowers that would work perfectly!

It stitched up really quickly and I wrapped it around a chipboard circle with the help of a bit of adhesive sheet to adhere the fabric to the chipboard, and then the chipboard to a 1 3/4" circle punched out of Crushed Curry cardstock. I also used the adhesive sheet to adhere the hoop to the cardstock.

I thought it would pair well with the sunflower design from the Painted Harvest DSP from the 2017 Holiday Catalogue. I folded up two doilies to set the sitched piece off from the background. A linen thread bow is a finishing touch.

A simple birthday sentiment from Thoughtful Banners, stamped with Crushed Curry on Whisper White - and it's ready to go!

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Time to add to your stash of Christmas cards! Marsha is hosting our All About Christmas challenge this week.

In every catalogue, there is a stamp set that really appeals to me, but for some reason I put off getting it. Then, when the catalogue is just about to retire, I finally decide to get it.

Good Tidings was that set for me in the 2017 Holiday Catalogue. it is a two-step holly design with a watercolour look to it. Even though I really liked it, once I got it, I didn't use it. Silly, I know! So, it was time to ink it up for this challenge.

I only used two colours for the holly: Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler. The images for the bottom layer were stamped off, then I used the detail layers full strength. The sentiment is done with Always Artichoke.

These images have a nostalgic feel to them, I think. I didn't want to use Whisper White - thought it would be too bright. So I stamped the images on Very Vanilla for a softer look. It also gives a warmer tone to the colours.

The DSP is from Delightful Daisy, and the card base is Cherry Cobbler.

For a little bit of sparkle, I used some of the Glitter Epoxy Shapes, from the 2018 Occasions Catalogue, on the berries. Here's a close-up look at those:

For more Christmas inspiration, check out Watercooler Wednesday and have a look at the wonderful projects from the other Watercooler Artists.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

I'm late to the party when it comes to the Waterfront stamp set - a truly magical stamp set designed by Connie Heisey, a Stampin' Up Million Sales Achiever. Pinterest is loaded with awesome samples of what can be done with this deceptively simple-looking stamp set. The possibilities are endless!

For my first use of this set, I simply wanted to stamp the images. It is sooooo easy to create a mountain paradise just by stamping. Each image creates its own shading - you don't have to think about anything. Here's what I came up with:

I started by stamping the line of mountains straight across the Whisper White cardstock, with Crumb Cake. I stamped multiple times without reinking to give the impression of mountains in the distance.

Next I created a transition space between the water and the mountains with Always Artichoke - again using stamping off.

Then I created the grassy hill with Old Olive, and stamped the trees randomly with Always Artichoke.

For the sky, I used Soft Sky, again stamping off to give a colour variation. The birds are from the High Tide stamp set and I used Night of Navy.

The water is done with Pool Party, stamped off. To add a little more interest to the water, I used the wave image from High Tide on top of the base stamping.

On the tag, I used Guy Greetings for the Happy Birthday and Thoughtful Banners for the Brother. They are stamped with Always Artichoke on Very Vanilla. It looked a little too bright, so I stamped one of the images from Waterfront with Crumb Cake then popped it up with Dimensionals over a strip of Metallic Copper Ribbon tied in a simple knot to finish it off.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

This week, Heidi is our challenge host with the All About Occasions Challenge.

There are so many card-giving occasions throughout the year from birthdays and anniversaries to the many holidays, plus thank-you and thinking of you.

My card is celebrating a special day - which can cover almost any of the occasions.

I'm still playing with the Brushos and used them here with the Woodlands embossing folder. It's so easy to do and the results are different every time.

Colours used here are Moss Green, Gamboge and Prussian Blue. Simply sprinkle some of the crystals directly onto the embossing folder, spritz with water, then place your cardstock in the folder and run it through the Big Shot.

I used Shimmery White cardstock, as it can handle the water. After it was dry, I matted it with Basic Black cardstock. The next layer is Crumb Cake, stamped with the Marbled background stamp and Crumb Cake ink, then mounted onto a Crumb Cake card base.

The sentiment is from Dragonfly Dreams, stamped with Night of Navy ink on Very Vanilla.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another challenge. This time, Penny gives us a Feminine Anything Goes Challenge.

I'm still learning my way around the Brushos Watercolour Crystals. I love creating backgrounds with them, so decided to pair them with a lovely, sketchy-type image from Mediterranean Moments.

I used a piece of watercolour paper and taped it to my craft sheet using washi tape. Then I sprinkled the Brushos onto the dry paper, starting with Moss Green in the lower right-hand corner, then Yellow in the middle and Gamboge in the top left-hand corner. I tried to sprinkle the powders in a diagonal direction.

Then I spritzed water all over the surface. After waiting for a few seconds for the colour to spread, I could see areas where I wanted more colour, so I just sprinkled a bit more of each colour where I wanted it.

After that was dry, I put the watercolour piece into my stamp positioner and inked the image with Tranquil Tide. I didn't want to use black ink, as it just seemed too harsh for the look I was going for.

Stamping on watercolour paper can be tricky, so I find a stamp positioner really helps as your stamp can be re-inked and re-stamped until you are happy with the results.

I wanted to let the image speak for itself, and decided to not add too much. To give it some interest, I used the ovals from the Stitched Shapes framelits and cut out two of the shapes.

My idea was to make it seem as if you are looking into this courtyard, so I glued the smallest oval in the center right onto the Tranquil Tide card base - which I had stamped with the dotted stamp image from the Waterfront stamp set, using Tranquil Tide ink and the stamping off technique.

The next section was adhered with dimensionals, and the final section was adhered with adhesive strips which are slightly higher than the dimensionals. The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz collection of peel and stick quotes.

To add just a little more interest to the design, I used some of the Clear Epoxy shapes at opposite corners of the oval. Hopefully you can see them in this closeup:

Our team of Watercooler Artists have really outdone themselves this time. There is plenty of inspiration to be found at Watercooler Wednesday!

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

This being the fifth Wednesday of the month, our challenge this week is the un-hosted Anything Goes.

I always feel as if I should do something other than a card for this challenge. My mind filled with ideas to do a wreath, a 3-D item, a home decor item, etc. But, I could not focus on any of those. So, I made a card:

I used a product from the 2018 Occasions Catalogue, that is easy to overlook. It's a set of two embossing folders, each one measuring 6 1/2" by 2 1/4", each with a different pattern. It's called Petal Pair Textured Impressions Embossing Folders and can be found on page 25.

After embossing this flower pattern on a strip of Whisper White cardstock, I coloured over the raised portion with Lemon Lime Twist, Tangerine Tango, Berry Burst and Tranquil Tide inks.

In the past, I have tried colouring raised embossing using a variety of tools - brayer, sponge, dauber - with limited success. For this card, I used a different tool - my fingers! I can't take credit for this idea; it is something I had seen done by another demo who posted on our demo Facebook group. And, so sorry, I didn't make note of her name.

The DSP is from Delightful Daisy and the sentiment from You've Got Style. The card base is Thick Whisper White.

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Watercooler Wednesday Challenge

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